Make UT's Campus Safer

A large portion of the homeless population on Guadalupe St. has dangerously affected UT students time and time again. There have been many incidents reported to the UT and Austin Police Department and even more that haven't been reported at all. When will it be enough for us to take a stand?

Just last week I witnessed two homeless people physically beating each other up outside of the United Methodist Church on Guadalupe waiting to get served a meal. Tons of students were gathered around scared and trying to find a way around the situation. But, the truth is, it is nearly impossible to avoid walking on Guadalupe.

Since we can't physically move the homeless population, I think moving the United Methodist Church's feeding service off of Guadalupe and away from campus could greatly help the problem. This church is generous enough to feed 200+ homeless people a week. I think if they moved that specific service to a place further away from campus, a large part of the homeless population would follow. It would be a win-win for everyone- the homeless could still be fed and students might not have to have as many scary encounters on a day to day basis.

This issue is very personal to me because my friends and I have been harassed daily by some of the homeless people who make their living collecting money from UT students on Guadalupe. I have been called names and even followed before and it makes me not feel safe at my school. A lot of students at this school could say the exact same thing.

Sign my petition if you believe in moving the meal service away from Guadalupe and making the students at UT feel safer in their environment.